OUR movie reviewer Mary Palmer enjoyed Michael Fassbender's performance as Macbeth and believes there could not been a better advert for Skye than the colours and textures shown on screen.

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Macbeth

"OH, full of scorpions is my mind!" Macbeth, the newly crowned King of Scotland is a very troubled man.

He has flashbacks, hallucinations and cold sweats. He can't quite seem to focus. He is emotional, paranoid, defensive. He can't speak to his wife or advisors. He is starting to attract strange looks for his rambling speeches and despicable acts.

Although his downfall is well-known and inevitable, Justin Kurzel's latest adaptation of William Shakespeare's play breathes new life in to the centuries-old tale of madness and violence.

The Scottish Film begins on a desolate hill on the Isle of Skye. Macbeth and his wife gather with acquaintances to bury their only child. There is no speech, just the lonely echo of the howling wind and an ominous score of strings and pipes.

Michael Fassbender as Macbeth

It's breathtakingly bleak. A stunning panorama of the snow-topped hills gives way to a blood red title sequence, underlining the unsettled nature of the Scottish throne.

The burnt orange sky, rolling fog and blackened mountains slowly reveals an army of shadowy figures emerging from the mist.

The opening battle scene roars on to the screen - "full of sound and fury" - in a stunning juxtaposition of slow motion and real time.

The slow motion, minus any sound, erupts with visceral blood spurts, haggard faces and flailing limbs. Contrasting heavily with this is the real time action - a true explosion of roaring battle cries and clashing weaponry.

This bold distinction, as spectacular as it is exciting, not only establishes Macbeth (Michael Fassbender) as a hero but underlines Kurzel's commitment to giving a modern edge to an otherwise traditional production.

The plot of Macbeth is well known, therefore it requires strong performances to breathe new life in to a play that is hundreds of years old.

Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard, stars of the new movie Macbeth

Kurzel succeeds in not only drawing truly solid and engaging performances from all of his cast - even relatively thankless roles such as Lennox and Malcolm are given renewed importance - but is able to make the Isle of Skye itself one of the film's biggest stars. The burning amber of a fire seeps upwards in to the inky blue night sky.

The landscape is mystical; ethereal. Wind chimes twinkle through the ever-purring wind, the sea laps gently along the coast, cloaked figures are dotted through the long grasses like standing stones and the rain washes away all trace of misdeeds and violence.

There is no doubt that this is a very bloodthirsty version of the doomed monarch's tale. The murder of King Duncan is an entirely new perspective on the scene and it does not miss the mark.

Macbeth retains eye contact with the frightened Duncan (David Thewlis) throughout the act The first plunge of the dagger - in an otherwise silent room - bursts like the sound of a gunshot.

Each stab wound becomes increasingly more frenzied; the sound of pierced flesh fills the auditorium, the spurts of deep scarlet blood flood the screen. Kurzel chooses to explore each act of violence in full, creating a stunning wall of sound mixed with striking visuals.

The cinematography and the soundtrack of The Scottish Film are as bewitching as the Weird Sisters that haunt the titular character. The extraordinary contrast of the chaos of the battle scenes with the stunning Skye landscape is incredible.

There could not be a better advert for the island than the colours and textures shown on screen. The music sounds Celtic - a clear use of strings, pipes and drums - and, although sparse, is used to maximum effect. It pounds through the action like a heartbeat.

It's also a film with a very unique take on key scenes of the play that have otherwise become stagnant. The "Is this a dagger I see before me?" speech is very cleverly pursued, as is the sight of Birnam Wood 'moving' to Dunsinane. The murder of Lady Macduff and her children is usually relegated to off-stage action, but here Kurzel chooses to show it in all it's brutality.

There are many of the more well-known speeches - particularly the "life is but a walking shadow" verse - that are played out in circumstances that will almost certainly make you double take in shock and awe.

Marion Cotillard and Michael Fassbender turn in truly captivating performances in the lead roles. Cotillard, alluring and devious, offers a seductive take on Lady Macbeth. She preys on her husband's machismo, with doting eyes and pouting lips, urging him onwards in his murderous quest.

Her descent in to madness is given a unique perspective by Kurzel, and actually enables the viewer to illicit sympathy for this fallen femme fatale. In particular, the scene where she weeps and mutters to herself on a church floor is utterly emotive.

Marion Cotillard in Macbeth

Fassbender plays beautifully to Kurzel's flair for extreme contrast. At times he is full of rage and testosterone, roaring around his kingdom like a restless wolf. Yet we also see him sweating profusely, growling to himself, rocking back and forth or scraping the walls. As he is crowned king, he closes his eyes and sees himself murdering Duncan.

At his coronation banquet, he openly converses with the ghost of Banquo. There has been much talk of Macbeth's madness being assigned to PTSD - and this is very much a case of a man completely wearied by what he has seen and done.

Sean Harris and Paddy Considine (as Macduff and Banquo respectively) also provide truly solid performances in what are usually relatively two dimensional roles. Harris, in particular, is utterly engrossing as the aggrieved Macduff. It is clear he is initially sceptical of the newly crowned Macbeth and his roar of vengeance against the murderous tyrant is quite enveloping.

You cannot take your eyes off him, he seems to fill every scene. Considine shows a slightly softer side, playing the victim and the wronged ghost. His eerily still and silent presence during the coronation banquet is acutely unnerving.

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Michael Fassbender and Director Justin Kurzel

The climactic battle scene is the jewel in Kurzel's (blood-stained?) crown. Macduff and Macbeth duel to the last breath. The air is painted orange with flames, the two warriors are often little more than shadows and the fighting is almost balletic in its movement. It is a true wonder to behold.

Most importantly, it is entirely credible that these men have nothing to lose. Again, there is focus on the crunch of bones and the sprays of blood.

But it is the thick amber air, shadowy combatants and mix of slow motion and real time that ensure the film ends on a visually compelling high. The final scene after the battle - again, an arresting use of juxtaposition from Kurzel, the king of the contrast - will surely take your breath away.

• Macbeth is released in the UK tomorrow.

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